


Descent

by kvbelleza



Series: Doom Driven [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Also there will be crying and clowning, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Shared Trauma, Team as Family, The burn is so slow it's still burning over here sorry, There may or may not be vanilla characters here, This is where I tag my beta—IF I HAD ANY!!!, it is unknown bc the author's saves are an ungodly clutter of population mods, me. its me. im gonna do both.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 15:22:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30057522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kvbelleza/pseuds/kvbelleza
Summary: Time flies when survival is at stake. It doesn't help that their dysfunctional little group keeps getting tangled into complications the more they try to avoid it. Getting their friend's memories restored did nothing for her benefit. Alerting her old enemies that she's still drawing breath, unearthing bitter lessons, can one really start anew?Run away chosen one. Race you to the depths, to the bottomless pits of hell they await you.
Relationships: Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Auri, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Inigo the Brave, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Lucien Flavius, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Rumarin, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Kaidan
Series: Doom Driven [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575757
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so their adventure continues...

** 001 **

** The House of Fools **  
  


_...tap tap tap_

Busy footsteps echoed from one end of the room to another.

_tap tap tap…_

From the dining area and back to the kitchen.

_THUD THUD THUD_

“Everyone, calm down _—oof!_ ” Lucien bumps into Kaidan carrying an armful of dishes. He sends the lad an inconvenienced look and went back to it. “Seriously guys?” Lucien’s voice echoed by without receiving an ounce of attention. My, oh my, everyone is buzzing like the Emperor himself is coming.

He tried talking to Candle and Inigo, both who are a bit occupied after finding out they don’t have enough ingredients, thus they rode for the city within an instant. Auri had busied herself helping their new friend, Adam, learn how things work around the estate; tending to the horses and some of the crops they replaced the beehive with. Lucien would like to befriend him but seeing as the former outlaw is still cowering before a nobility like the scholar, he decided to give the man some time to fit in before trying again. Right then, maybe the friendly bladebinder needs helping?

Lucien wasn’t even a step inside the kitchen when the altmer turned at him at a frightening speed—by Rumarin’s standard anyways. “Er-, yes..?” the imperial squeaked, eyeing all the utensils and ingredients spread across the table. Wow, they’re holding quite a feast, huh.

“Oh.” Blinks the altmer, “Sorry ‘bout that, just a bit hectic over here.” Rumarin tells him, putting the knife down, _wait_ was he pointing that at him? “Your little Hunter’s gone off. I’d prefer if that strange cat actually left but he keeps going home here, so-” The high elf grunts, moving the medium pot to make way for another one, “I’m trying to finish up before it comes back in here and messes with the kitchen.”

“Woah! You’ve really improved with all this cooking stuff!” The scholar beams widely as he takes a peek inside the pot. Thick smoke of pure meaty aroma greets Lucien and he swore his stomach just growled at that instant. It’s as if he had opened the gates of heaven itself. “Goodness! The girls really woke up early to get the first batch of meat, huh? Oh, and is this the salad? Marvelous!” Seeing some of the dishes prepared has him giddy as a child in a park. Auri would absolutely appreciate Rumarin’s thoughtfulness!

“Pfft. More like I’m scared she’ll bite my head off this time if I keep mixing the vegetables in her food.” Pouts the high elf. “She can pick out the greens herself, but she did get us this _much_ quality goods... I guess I’ll put in some work just this once. It’s not every time I get a chance to test out recipes like these.”  
Lucien nods fondly instead, not wanting to throw his focus off with his urge for tomfoolery, “I’m amazed by your progress, Ru. Really! Divines know I could hardly bake some pies without mucking it up in some way.” If he specializes in anything, it’s making dark matter.

“Meh. Don’t be like that. Your pies kept us from starving back there. I’m already thinking about asking you to make my coffin out of one, it’s always been a dream of mine. Oh, but that means you’ll have to outlive me.” Rumarin went on with his weirdly accurate life goals when the pot lid rattled. “AH! Crap, I forgot to stir it!”

“Ohh dear…” Lucien huffed and puffed, it was his time. _‘Come on, Candle taught you about the basics.’_ the lad chanted in his mind and out from his fingertips were a soft icy breeze to quell the fire. He heard Rumarin scoff in relief and both agreed not to mention it to anyone.

“Not bad at all, master wizard.” Laughs the high elf while attempting to remedy the soup. “I guess we’re learning good in our own pursuits.”

Lucien felt revitalized by such flattery. Still, he’s not one to turn down a friend’s attempt to compliment him. “I’m receiving too much in return from the money I pay you, frankly speaking. I didn’t envision such a life-changing path when I told myself I’d go on an adventure.” he paused. Giving voice to those thoughts even further strengthens not just the highlights of it but also the worst situations that he faced with them. His kidnapping, Candle’s possession, the forsworn, getting attacked by bandits in that Dwemer ruin in Eastmarch, and seeing his friends critically injured more times than he’d like to recall. Lucien still smiled, this time with much more enlightenment and courage. “We went through a lot.”

The high elf himself had his own opinions, of course. But he shared the lad’s excitement nonetheless. “And we’ll probably go through more. Don’t forget we’re travelling with brutes and a cannibal.”

_“HEY! I can still hear you!”_ One particularly strict man made the elf jump when he called them out from outside the kitchen.

“Thin walls, my silly friend. Careful~” Auri giggled heartily as she waved her hand for them to see on the window at the end of the room.

“I’m more surprised a midget like you can reach that high.” spat back the altmer before a small pebble hit his head. “Hey, that’s physical assault, woman!”

Laughter erupted from Lucien as he stood before this everyday scene of theirs. In a few days time, they’ll have to see each other off again. He wondered when the travelling equipment he asked for would arrive. _‘For sure, my parents would have something extra Inigo could use.. Or allowance they can advance? I’m being spoiled, aren’t I?’_ the imperial was lost in sheepish thought when his ears auto-detects a cat’s meow. The joys of owning a cat of his own.

He shifts to the side, sees the plump guy sitting near a drawer and looking at him as if waiting for him to move out of the entryway. “He~llo~ buddy. Where’ve you been?” He gleefully rubbed the cat’s head who uses its paws to push his hand after a few seconds. “Ooh, you’re very smart too, aren’t you?”

“Stop praising it, it’ll only get cockier!” Rumarin disses, “Now I’m gonna really have to finish this. If you can distract it away from here, that’ll be really helpful.”

“Aww. Okay. I guess it’s you and me for the time being, Hunter.” The scholar took the cat’s gently swerving tail as a positive note. He made sure to take the bag of treats Candle borrowed from a store to ensure Hunter—hang on, he doesn’t feel right when the words _“borrow”_ and _“Candle”_ are used in the same sentence.

* * *

With a loud heave, the preparation for today’s feast is finally done. The dishes made it on time while the soup’s hot, many thanks to Inigo and Candle’s timely arrival. But of course, it wouldn’t have been cooked into almost-perfection without Rumarin’s diligence… or desperation. To be honest, the altmer’s hell bent on making an impression, seeing how determined he is into getting everyone to eat on time. He looks like one of those witches that lures children into their shacks.

“Ease up now, cheekbones. We’ll get there. Let’s just wait for Inigo to get back.” Candle nudged her elbow at the pouty elf and pulled up a seat of her own in the table. Would it be weird if one of them suddenly told how innocent she looks in a common dress? Yes? Looks like everyone’s just gonna silently agree on that then.

“Hey make sure to tell me what it tastes like…” Rumarin’s brows never fail to express his emotions, which everyone found amusing. “Knowing you, you’d soon sweep up half the dishes without even bothering to enjoy it.”

“Haha, I only do that when I’m famished.”

“But are you famished? Right now?” Inquires the high elf, earning nothing but a quiet smile from the breton.

Lucien entertained himself by spectating the ongoing banter, from a distance in which he definitely does not have to get involved. On the other side was Auri and Kaidan having a casual discussion of what’s posted in the city notice boards. Perhaps they plan on which ones best to grab? Maybe he can talk Kaidan into taking him in one of those!

“Take a seat, everyone! Lord Inigo has arrived hehehe.” Their jolly friend starts it off with an equally energetic greeting. He takes his seat beside the breton and leaned in to whisper, “He really loved the meal. He says he hasn’t tasted anything as good when he joined those bandits. But are you sure you want that Adam fellow standing guard outside? Alone? He has every means to escape..” Candle just chuckles, telling him that Hunter’s with their errand boy. Errand boy’s a funny term to use, given that she still does most of the heavy lifting around their home. Inigo made sure to point this out.

“Eh? Oh-, hah. I see.” The Nightingale lowers her head, “I guess I just feel uneasy whenever I stop moving around. Just working extra hard is all.”

“Chopping wood in the middle of the night isn’t _'hard work'_.” Kaidan butted in and the table fell silent. “What? I know she casts some muffling spell but it’s still disturbing if I catch someone hacking away in the dark.”

“So you admit to also having troubles sleeping at night?” The bosmer teases, breaking the swordsman’s stoic mood.

"Oi, back me up here, will you. I know you're watching her from your room, too."

Auri's cheeks flares up, "I-I did _no_ such thing!" Her twitching ears are betraying her, though.

Amidst the spreading cheer, Inigo had to cut it short, raising a toast to Lucien that the others were more than eager to follow with. The academic blinked with a clueless smile.

"A.. _Ahem._ Am I.. missing something?"

Inigo shrugs. "We're throwing a party, that's it."

"For when you leave, right? Wait, why am I the focus here?"

"We wanted to celebrate your birthday, too! Don't be selfish." Candle teases.

"My.. Wait, but that's still in four more days!" The imperial’s smile falters a bit, “..oh.”

"Lucien.." Softness and warmth cloaked the bosmer’s voice, "..we're leaving the day before that."

Even Candle felt apologetic for having to bring the news like this. "Er, I'm really sorry, buddy. The carriage we got is—"

"I mean, why didn't you say so? Oh, what the heck, let's get wasted then!" Lucien declares and chugs down his first mug of Honningbrew. Being given a special carriage ride back here had its perks. Hopefully, this doesn't reach the Black-briars.

The companions exchange glances and bursts into the goofiest grins as they down their own drinks. They were worried for a second, but it looks like these guys will just be fine in their absence.

* * *

The corners of this house were sprinkled and filled with laughter and positivity, continuing their daily lives like usual with just a dash of added inspiration—finishing meals, doing routines, working on skills and whatnot, and then gathering once more for another round of scrumptious dinner.

Kaidan, despite taking advantage of the occasion to indulge himself bottle after bottle, made an exception of putting down his next mead when he spots the Nightingale retiring early with a handful of educational books. He drags himself off the table and nearly stumbles trying to race her to the second floor.

“Hm? Careful if you’re getting woozy. I’m afraid nobody in this house can catch your fall.” She chuckled before politely excusing herself. “...I uhm.. Did you need something, ‘cuz I still need to study.”  
“Whatever for?”

She didn’t know what to make of his liquor induced approach. And so she looked up at him and averted almost instantly. Those few minutes they shared in the gala would linger in her mind every once in a while. Candle realized she hadn’t met his eyes today at all and, well… this is awkward. “If.. _ahem.._ If you mean studying, of course I still need to be in my best shape, physically and mentally, if we’re to travel—”

“You know what I meant.” He huffs.

“Excuse me?” Her bafflement stood no chance against his piercing gaze. Damn it, those loose laces on his tunic is riling her up so much. _‘Please, just stop staring at him stop staring stop staring-’_ Candle better not get a hold of those laces or she might just strangle him with it. Kaidan sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Hold up, that’s illegal. _‘Is he doing this on purpose? I’d rather soon evaporate than be tormented this way.’_

“Just let loose for once…” He murmured. Sometimes, he’s not so insufferable. “You’re already a powerful mage on your own.”

The Nightingale tightened the grip around the books. It’s not power she’s trying to master, it’s control. If she didn’t try to control herself better, those vile things she did in Helgen, the corruption she’s letting fester… “Kaidan… the things I did—”

“—Is not somethin’ I never heard of before.” Shoots down the swordsman. “People like us are bound to do things we’re not proud of… sooner or later. In the end we’re all just trying to survive.. So get your head out of that burning shack.”

“I-..” Candle bit her tongue and scoffed. “Damn, that ain’t fair.” She blinked away the sting in her eyes. He always knows just when to reel her back.

Kaidan places a hand on the books and took it when she didn’t resist. “You’re here. _With us._ We had a busy month up ‘till now. So many things happened. I think you owe yourself this break.”

Arkay’s breath, she’s being lectured by a drunk Kaidan. Gods, why is he so convincing when he’s the intoxicated one between the two of them? Candle could only nod and lower her eyes. Anymore of this bone-melting stares and it’ll guarantee her ears to blush.

“I agree with our brooding mammoth over here, my friend.” That was Inigo, coming to save her from embarrassing herself.. or add to it. Depends on which side the Divines are playing at. “I’m thankful that you want to help me out about these strange visions I’m having, but I haven’t experienced them in a long while. Maybe it is nothing after all, maybe I’m wrong. Whatever the case, we can put it aside. We all needed the rest.” Inigo added, ignoring Kaidan’s eyeroll. “Hey, I saw that. You’re annoyed again that companion #1 here is going places.” the mischievous khajiit strikes again!

“Bah! I don’t know why you people wouldn’t take me.” Kaidan trudges down before they block the stairway and places the books on some nearby surface, grumbling on how he knows the place better and the like.

“I can’t say I disagree. But you know I trust my best friend’s calls.” Inigo shrugged.

“What?” The swordsman twists in an instant, fixing his wide eyes on the woman, “You decided on that? Then why’d you pick Auri over me?” he almost sounded betrayed. He probably _felt_ betrayed.

Their lady friend tenses and waves defensively. “She-, she said she wanted to.. I-I mean we all know she’s not comfortable constantly staying indoors.” The breton lady has a point, but her stutter ain’t just convincing Kaidan any better. Letting liquor get the best of him, Kaidan prods on,

“You sure that’s it…?” he mutters, and clearly enough, he catches her avoiding his eyes while clearing her throat, the crack in her facade only he could see. “I could think of a few ways to entertain you on the road.” he smirks. Inigo might not have read through it but Candle definitely did. And to prove him right even more further, the woman snaps at him, fixing the side of her hair as if that wasn’t an obvious attempt to cover her heated cheeks from his view when she strode away from them.

Inigo observed with much amusement at how quick that exchange turned south. “Ah well, can’t blame her. You’re not exactly the biggest jester in the group.” The khajiit flashes his teeth, grinning at the direction of their altmer cook. Suddenly, Kaidan slumps down on a bench, resting his arms on knees and grimaces as if he’d just come face to face with an awful truth.

“I can’t believe it…”

“Hm?”

“...I actually won against her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyaa! Still here, I see. You're tenacious, reader. I would assume you would have wanted to stab me by now, but alas, this screen separates us.


End file.
